Oh Dear
by Straightjackets-R-Us
Summary: Its Pippin's 20th birthday but Merry isn't in the mood for games, especially after Pippin opens a large sack of flour in the kitchen! Short story, one chapter. *grabs megaphone* NOOOO SLAAASSHHH!!!!


Oh Dear...  
  
A/N: This is a short, one chapter story. ^.^ It seems that all the English language in The Scarlet Pimpernel is taking a small effect upon me! n.~  
  
Disclaimer: If I really owned the characters from Lord of the Rings, why would I be writing fiction that I wasn't selling?!?! Yea, that's what I thought. (I don't own them!!!!)  
  
~*~  
  
A long and ripping sound was suddenly emitted from the kitchen of the Great Smails. It was the day of Pippin's twentieth birthday; the day he would be considered to be in his tweens. Pippin stood next to a small table while a large could of white flour descended onto the floor beneath him. Holding a large and empty sack, he blinked a few times before his cousin and best friend Merry came rushing down the hall. His feet skidded to a halt on the threshold of the large room and his jaw dropped. "What did you do?!?!?!" He exclaimed, taking a broad step into the room. "I was...uhhhhhhh..." Pippin stammered. But before he could come up with an appropriate excuse, Merry took another step towards his cousin, a step that was too wide. His feet slipped out from under him and in a flash he found himself lying on his back, staring at the laughing face of Pippin. "You...hahahahahaha! Slipped!!!!" Pippin said between laughs. Merry shot him a playful glare, "Yes, I noticed..." he said as he stood up and tried to dust off his cloths. He then crossed his arms over his chest and looked around the room once more. "I don't think that your mother will be very pleased when she comes home to a white kitchen and two white hobbits." Pippin's expression changed abruptly from a smile to a frown. "I can't clean all this in an hour!" He said in despair. Then a small and sly smile crept across his lips.  
  
"No...Oh no! Don't look at me!" Merry said quickly. "Aww, please Merry! A little bit of cleaning never hurt anyone!" Pippin pleaded. Merry shook his head, shaking more flour onto the floor. "No." Pippin's eyes filled with fake tears and his bottom lip started to shake. Merry raised an eyebrow. "The last time you asked me to help...we ended up being chased all the way to Hobbiton by Farmer Maggot's dogs!!" He said. "That wasn't my idea!" Pippin said quickly. "If you would recall, that was clearly YOUR idea! Please Merry, help me just this once???" he said with a note of urgency in his voice. Merry dropped his arms to his sides. "All right! You win!" he sighed. "So, what's your plan?"  
  
Beads of sweat trickled down Merry's face as he swept the mop across the floor. For thirty minutes they had been sweeping, dusting, washing, drying, wiping, and scrubbing. So far, Pippin and re-washed and dried all the dishes and had dried about half of them. He had also wiped off the counters. A sudden thought occurred to Merry. What had happened to all the flour that had been on the counters and floor? It was driven from his thoughts however, when he heard the sound of Pippin's large feet skipping down the hall.  
  
He raised his head to look at his cousin who was still covered in the white dust. "Aren't you going to wash yourself off?" he asked incredulously. At this comment, Pippin's smile broadened. "I was thinking we could play a little joke on mumsie and Pearl when they get back!" he said. Merry's eyes widened. "Pippin, I don't have a fancy at the moment for any jokes..." Pippin looked at him questionably. "Not have the fancy for a good joke eh?" he said, walking over to Merry. "No, not at the moment no." Merry said nervously. His eyes darted toward the window and then back to his cousin who was now standing in front of him. "I'm tired of working!" Pippin said slyly, snatching the mop from out of Merry's hands. "Hey! Give that back!" Merry exclaimed. Pippin's eyes twinkled. "You're gonna have to catch me!" He said.  
  
Before Merry could react, Pippin was already out of the door and sprinting down the hall as fast as he could go. Merry's eyes once more darted to the small window in the kitchen and what he saw made his stomach churn uncomfortably and his eyes widen. He sprinted after Pippin, but he knew it would be in vain. Pippin had reached the door of the large house, "Ha! Aren't as fast as you used to be Merry?" Chuckling to himself, he opened the door and ran out. Well, he would have kept going, but he had run into something quite hard and solid. His eyes widened as he observed two large hobbit feet, then the hem of a frilly skirt. In front of him stood his mother, tall and proud. Her eyes widened as she looked upon Pippin. "Pippin..." she said, her voice deadly calm. "Explain!" Several muttered words came from Pippin's mouth, none of which were audible.  
  
To make matters worse, the next moment, Merry came sliding into the doorway and ran headfirst into Pippin, knocking them both to the ground and sending a small cloud of flour dust into the air. Pippin's mother blinked and coughed when the flour reached her mouth and nose. She then glared down at the tangled mess that was Merry and Pippin. "Pippin..." she repeated shaking her head. "What am I going to do with you?" Pippin flashed an apologetic smile. She couldn't help but crack a smile as well. "And after I was going to drop by and wish you a happy birthday!" she said, putting her hands on her hips. Pippin's smile grew broader as it became clear that he wasn't in too much trouble.  
  
His mother gave a small and short wave of her hand and suddenly Pippin became aware of several other hobbits hiding in the bushes. He gasped when they all jumped from their concealed places among the small shrubs and yelled "Surprise!" Pippin jumped to his feet and punched Merry lightly on the arm. "Ow! What was that for?!" He said. "For not telling me!!!" Pippin said hotly. Merry rolled his eyes. "Well, if I told you, it wouldn't have been a surprise now would it?" Pippin relaxed, "I suppose not..." he said more to himself than to anyone else. "Oy Pippin!" shouted Frodo from the group. "Are you going to invite us inside or just leave us out to roast in the sun?!" Pippin looked up, as if for the first time aware of the people that were standing in front of his door. "Oh! Where are my manners!" he said quickly. "Come in! Come in!!!" As he finished, he turned on his heel and began to walk back in to the house, forgetting about the massive amount of flour that had accumulated in the doorway. As his foot slipped out from under him, he grabbed hold of Merry's loose-fitting shirt and dragged him down as well. And so, there they were, just as his mother had originally found them; a laughing heap upon the floor. "Oh dear..." She said, "What ever am I to do with you?" 


End file.
